Leading Event Production Company commissions array of custom manufactured solution from Canford

Leading Event Production Company commissions array of custom manufactured solution from Canford Now in its 20th year of trading, long-standing Canford client Sound of Music Limited have established themselves as one of the UK’s leading providers of Event Production and Audio-Visual Equipment Hire Services.

From its headquarters in Derby, UK and led by MD Sash Pochibko, the team prides itself on its outstanding attention to detail and technical production expertise. Sound of Music promises its clients the very best in event technology, customer support and unforgettable results regardless of the size of event or budget.

Despite severe flood damage to their warehouse in 2019 with the highest river levels ever recorded in The Derwent, the company continues to invest in and maintain an impressive arsenal of state-of-the-art production equipment. This incorporates Audio, Lighting, LED screens & Video Production, Staging, Power Distribution, Live Webcasting and On-line Interactive Event Technology.

Sash Pochibko, Sound of Music MD recalls: “We sustained significant water damage to the ground floor and lost a lot of equipment.

Thankfully our team were safe, they all did a remarkable job of quickly turning what resembled a sewage plant back into a functioning hire-co, enabling us to service our customers without much interruption.”

Sound of Music engineers took the opportunity to engage with Canford Manufacturing to supply a custom batch of the popular EMO E618 power distribution panel for a new series of touring-spec amplifier racks they were preparing for hire stock.

Erika Dobie, Canford Business Development Manager comments: “Although the EMO range is expansive, Sash asked if we could add an extra 20A breaker and make changes to increase the Powercon outlet capacity. And of course we could! That’s the beauty of having design and manufacturing in-house.”

As a solutions provider, developing products that eradicate hassle and more importantly cost, is integral to Canford’s offer. Clients get to speak directly with experienced design and manufacturing staff. This collaborative approach draws on an unrivalled knowledge base within Canford and delivers cost-effective custom solutions for customers.

The resulting damage created a need to replace several mains distribution units. The team turned to Canford and the EMO range. Established in 1973 and manufactured by Canford in Washington, Tyne & Wear, EMO products are known to ‘withstand years of abuse on the road’, earning their reputation for reliability in professional studios, touring and conference systems worldwide.

canford.co.uk | UK sales tel: +44 (0)191 4181122 email: sales@canford.co.uk | Int sales tel: +44 (0)191 4181133 email: international@canford.co.uk

Sound of Music are no strangers to Canford’s custom manufacturing services. In addition to the EMO mains distribution units, the team also commissioned the production of several Audio Splitter Panels. These would be used to passively split signals between multiple mixing consoles and control positions. Tourline multipin connectors were utilised, breaking out to multiple XLRs for flexibility.

These high-quality, rigid aluminium extruded Canford rack panels were supplied pre-wired, finished with a durable powder coating and laser engraving.

More recently Sash tasked Canford to manufacture a custom ‘PAT tester connectivity interface’.

As Sound of Music’s hire and installation business continues to grow, so does the need to maintain & test equipment to a high standard. Commercially available PAT testers are good at testing electrical appliances, but no single tester would cater for the mix of power connector types you’d expect to find in a leading rental company.

Sash Pochibko, Sound of Music MD comments: “The only thing that matches our passion for providing a great service, is our geekery for equipment – the tools of our trade!

they are extremely welcoming and knowledgeable in their field. I was able to request modifications to the design which they quickly came back with updated drawings for. It’s always a pleasure to deal with Canford. Whether you’re looking to manufacture just a single item or a batch of many identical items – the service is always great!”

“Sash asked if we could add an extra 20A breaker and make changes to increase the Powercon outlet capacity. And of course we could!

That’s the beauty of having design and manufacturing in-house.”

Erika Dobie

We love our equipment, so we look after it. Maintaining it to the highest standard and latest safety regulations.

To streamline our service dept and increase efficiency, I doodled a design for what was essentially a glorified adaptor cable – but one which included every type of mains connector we had in the warehouse. We can now test every possible combination of mains extension and adaptor cable we might come across, all conveniently mounted in a rack-mountable enclosure.

The designers at Canford came back with an initial panel layout. It was great to be in direct conversation with the production team,

Custom metalwork contact: Canford Manufacturing – Portland e: custommetal@canford.co.uk T: +44 191 418 1122 About Canford: Formed in 1976, Canford serves a diverse range of customers from its headquarters in Washington, Tyne & Wear. In recent years Canford has enhanced its reputation as the supplier of choice for custom metalwork in the broadcast, live events and touring markets. Canford is architect-specified for audio and video connection points in many of the highest profile sports stadiums in both Europe and the Middle East, as well as theatres and conference facilities.

canford.co.uk | UK sales tel: +44 (0)191 4181122 email: sales@canford.co.uk | Int sales tel: +44 (0)191 4181133 email: international@canford.co.uk